How much to live on?

Graham_Devon

Carmina_Piranha wrote: »

my husband earns less than that and he keeps a wife and 2 children.

when you get your first job most people are working just to scrimp by, or they stay with their parents for a bit longer.

the average wage in this country is lower than yours. what do the people earning less than you do to survive?

Do you have a mortgage? Rent? Do you pay council tax? Car?

Most single people either buying or renting a place, and working get no help at all with any of the above.

When a quick search on rightmove for rental properties indicates that where I live, I can't rent anywhere for less than £450 a month (2 room flat, 1 bedroom and a kitchen/lounge), council tax at least £90 a month, water at least £30 a month, electric/gas at least 40 a month and suddenly were at £610. That's on a 2 room bedsit, and renting it. Haen't included insurance, car, food, etc.....and then we got the nice things, such as broadband, telephone, tv licence.

I really don't see how single person can live for that much, especially when you consider if you have to drive to work (car insurance, petrol, car tax, maintanance etc etc).

If your hubby earns less than what it takes to keep a roof over my head with a few nicities AND keeps you and 2 children, you have surely got to be getting help from somewhere, or own the house so no payment, or no car or something!!

lemontart

studentphil wrote: »

lemontart wrote: »

I should in theory be in a good position for a job as I have a fair amount of unpaid experience and hopefully a degree soon.
I know the north has less jobs than the south but still.

In theory is just that theory - reality often has little to do with theory.

bonnie_2

rent £376 ntl/bb/tv 80ish
ct £89 food 240
mobile £35 cooker rental 22
gas £80 hsa 9
elec £63
water £26
car £180
so essential living expenses for family of 5 £870
But then you have clothes, holidays, trips out. school funds, hair cuts etc.
so it all depends on your situation.

studentphil

lemontart wrote: »

In theory is just that theory - reality often has little to do with theory.

I never thought the reality would be as tricky hours as 12 hours a week until 9pm sundays.

sheraz2

I think that most peoples, infact everyones biggest monthly expenditure is the mortgage/rent. That's average joe in the 'prime years' of his life. If you didn't have that, then you can live a comfortable life on say a grand a month.
Which is my situation really, I have about £400 left over a month bottom side per month, this is pocket money. This is with £30 per month factored in for one new piece of clothing per month, I find I can stay on top of it better that way.
I don't run a car though, as I just use my brothers 90% of the time. I absolutelty dread to think about my situation if I had a mortgage to pay - i'd be doubly p1ssed off about not getting WTC for being too young.

Carmina_Piranha_3

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Do you have a mortgage? Rent? Do you pay council tax? Car?

Most single people either buying or renting a place, and working get no help at all with any of the above.

When a quick search on rightmove for rental properties indicates that where I live, I can't rent anywhere for less than £450 a month (2 room flat, 1 bedroom and a kitchen/lounge), council tax at least £90 a month, water at least £30 a month, electric/gas at least 40 a month and suddenly were at £610. That's on a 2 room bedsit, and renting it. Haen't included insurance, car, food, etc.....and then we got the nice things, such as broadband, telephone, tv licence.

I really don't see how single person can live for that much, especially when you consider if you have to drive to work (car insurance, petrol, car tax, maintanance etc etc).

If your hubby earns less than what it takes to keep a roof over my head with a few nicities AND keeps you and 2 children, you have surely got to be getting help from somewhere, or own the house so no payment, or no car or something!!

mortgage is around £600 per month, insurance is less than £15 a month with morethan, covering contents and buildings. council tax is £71 per month if averaged over 12 months, water is £15 per month averaged over 12 months. we get the basic broadband, smallest tv package etc. so we pay virgin media £30 per month.

but you're right about him getting some help - child benefit for the 2 children is £120 per month and child tax credit is £42 per month (anybody earning under about 60k would get the same). so i suppose our total income is a bit more than yours, perhaps £100 a month but that's to support 3 extra people, and we don't get the single person's council tax reduction.

lemontart

studentphil wrote: »

I never thought the reality would be as tricky hours as 12 hours a week until 9pm sundays.

Its not it's it more like 12 hrs a day 4 days a week on continental shifts if you are lucky.

or 5 days a week 9 to 5 pm then 7 till 11pm at the local pub behind the bar to make some extra money and a paper round at 7am too.

Graham_Devon

My earnings are not £1600 a month, that's just what I seem to pay out each month.

Water is a lot more expensive here, nearly triple when looking at averages, and mine works out at least 20 a month for living on my own. Council tax is nealy £500 more than yours per year for a band B property (mines £81 per month WITH the 25% discount)!! And it looks like you don't run a car? I'd expect you to get the child tax credits etc.

A big part of my outgoings each month are the car. Working on my cheaper run around car and forgetting my 'nice' car which is something I have chose, so not needed...£16 a month to tax it if going for 12 months tax, £42 a month to insure it (and thats cheap!!)...so theres £58 a month. Then we have petrol....for the soul purpose of getting to work, your talking an extra £70-£80 a month, so could say £130 per month just to be able to actually get to work (no bus services could possibly get me to work).

So to me, thats a need, I wouldn't be able to get to work without it. Without work, I could not live. Same for most families in the country, take the car away and the whole country would fall to it's knee's within a day.

Now, I'm lucky enough to own that car outright. But it still requires maintanance, £61 yesterday just on a new battery, which was needed as the other one died, and did that myself, so £61 was the cost of the battery. So things like that over the year, could add up easily to 300-500 quid keeping the car on the road (MOT, Tyres, servicing, so £500 is quite a low figure should one thing go wrong!), another £25 if done a month easily....and this is all simply to get to work to earn the money to live. On top of that, £230 a year to be able to park in the town, to again, be able to get to work (£20 a month). This is something the council charge anyone for a season pass to be able to park, otherwise costs would be extortionate (up to £20 a day) and there is no where to park that does not cost, unless you park 3 miles out (which means getting a bus, so expense there).

Then I got the other car, but thats a choice, so won't include that.

So kinda does make sense now, couldnt understand it before! So thanks!

Carmina_Piranha_3

we do have a car, my husband doesn't have to pay for parking at work though. i don't have a car, i walk.

the only tax credits we get is the £42 per month that everyone gets, nothing more than that, and no help with childcare if i got a job.

my husband has to repay his student loan but i'm not repaying mine.

Carmina_Piranha_3

our 2 bedroomed shoebox is a band d property.